Vestibular impairment in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Component analysis findings

Abstract

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a common clinical diagnosis in western populations and its symptoms are thought to be mainly related to chemical compounds exposure. Although MCS subjects refer to complain from many central nervous system symptoms, including dizziness, no study to now deepened vestibular detriment nor to what extent such an impairment could worsen MCS. Thus, the purpose of present study was to objectively highlight those clinical/subclinical aspects of vestibular impairment that could be related to MCS symptoms cohorts. A principal component analysis within a wide battery of otoneurological test scores was employed in 18 right-handed MCS patients and 20 sex- and age-matched healthy individuals. A deranged dimensionality in near-optimal re-weighting within otoneurological variables was found in MCS as compared with healthy subjects. These data seem to support the idea that MCS physiopathological underpinnings could lead to a peripheral and higher vestibular decay that could be addressed as a further aspect to better follow MCS patients up along natural history of disease in clinical practice.

Body-worn triaxial accelerometer coherence and reliability related to static posturography in unilateral vestibular failure

“…Interestingly, on one hand they are in line with the natural history of these kind of vestibular disorders in which length and surface values were addressed to be higher than healthy subjects 3 . On the other, a new interesting ACC-based and length-derived parameter (see Table I), such as MF, could be proposed as a further measure to follow UVF patients during the course of the disease.…”

“…However, a possible explanation of the absence of correlation in some measures could be related to the fact that subjects do not sway strictly as inverted pendulums 4 . In fact, even quiet stance in young, healthy subjects includes some hip strategy, and the amount of hip strategy used to control posture have been shown to increase with age 3 4 . Besides this, to the best of our knowledge, in the present work the reliability of important postural sway measures in UVF subjects using an accelerometer-based approach is reported.…”

“…The recording period was 60 sec for each test (eyes closed [CE] or opened [OE] while standing on the stiff platform [SP] or a 6 cm heightened foam carpet [FC]); the sampling frequency was 25 Hz 3 . The COP was monitored while performing the test.…”

“…These afferent sensory feedback signals play a crucial role in adapting and modulating the operation of the locomotor and stance network in the real environment 1 . Considering also that changes in vestibular function may be one cause of ataxia, major findings in measurement of postural control and sensory integration in vestibular impairments were achieved using static posturography in an ambulatory or forced-experimental setting 3 .…”

“…This type of technology currently uses force plate analysis of centre of pressure (COP) displacement during quiet stance, the sensitivity of which has been demonstrated to be reliable to measure postural disorders in neurological, systemic and vestibular diseases and in fall risk in the elderly 3 4 .…”